But of all his sayings there was none so keenly relished as one was by Françoise, who, years afterwards, even, could not "keep a straight face" if we reminded her that she had been qualified by the Ambassador as "a chef of the first order", a compliment which my mother had gone in person to transmit to her, as a War Minister publishes the congratulations addressed to him by a visiting Sovereign after the grand review. I, as it happened, had preceded my mother to the kitchen.